Proteins – Science Glossary – Creative Touch

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Protein

44 entities in this category

Explore the Science of Proteins

Acid sphingomyelinase
Protein
The enzyme that converts sphingomyelin to ceramide via the sphingomyelinase pathway. Active in both lamellar body secretion and UV-induced keratinocyte stress signalling.
Agouti-related peptide
Protein
The hypothalamic neuropeptide that drives sustained food-seeking by blocking and actively suppressing melanocortin-4 receptor activity.
Carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1
Protein
The mitochondrial outer‑membrane enzyme that controls fatty‑acid entry via carnitine transport and is inhibited by malonyl‑CoA to regulate fat oxidation.
Claudin-1
Protein
Claudin‑1 is a tight‑junction protein in the upper epidermis that forms the paracellular seal between keratinocytes, creating a second barrier layer whose loss causes water and solute leakage.
Collagen
Protein
The dermis's primary structural protein. Collagen I and III provide tensile strength and elasticity, declining with age and hormonal changes.
Decorin
Protein
Decorin is a small leucine-rich proteoglycan of the dermal extracellular matrix. Primary regulator of collagen fibril diameter, interfibrillar spacing and the mechanical architecture of the dermis.
E-cadherin
Protein
A calcium-dependent transmembrane adhesion protein that maintains lateral cohesion between keratinocytes in the stratum spinosum via adherens junctions.
Elastin
Protein
Structural protein providing skin's stretch-and-recoil capacity. Unlike collagen, new elastin production is severely limited in adult skin.
ELOVL fatty acid elongase 4
Protein
The elongase enzyme responsible for synthesising very long-chain fatty acids (C28+) required specifically for the acylceramide subtypes EOS and EOP.
Epidermal growth factor
Protein
The primary re-epithelialisation growth factor in skin, produced acutely by platelets, macrophages, and fibroblasts following tissue injury.
Ferritin
Protein
Ferritin stores and releases iron; the most sensitive marker of low iron availability, with fatigue and cognitive drag often emerging when levels fall below ~50 µg/L despite 'normal' lab ranges.
Fibroblast growth factor
Protein
A family of 22 signalling proteins acting through tyrosine kinase receptors to regulate fibroblast proliferation, collagen synthesis, keratinocyte migration, and angiogenesis.
Filaggrin
Protein
Barrier protein that collapses keratinocytes into corneocytes and then degrades into natural moisturising factor. Suppressed by inflammation during barrier dysfunction.
Ghrelin
Protein
The 'hunger hormone' produced by the stomach, stimulating appetite particularly for energy-dense foods during caloric restriction.
Glucagon-like peptide-1
Protein
Natural satiety hormone produced in the gut, signalling fullness to the brain and forming the basis for GLP-1 medication effects.
Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide
Protein
The first and dominant incretin hormone, responsible for 60 to 80% of the postprandial insulin response, that, unlike GLP-1, acts directly on adipose tissue to promote lipid storage.
Glucosylceramidase
Protein
The extracellular processing enzyme that converts glucosylceramide to free ceramide in the lower stratum corneum. One of two enzymes completing the final step of ceramide generation.
Growth arrest-specific protein 6
Protein
Growth factor involved in hair follicle signalling and cellular processes relevant to hair cycle regulation.
Insulin
Protein
A β‑cell–derived anabolic hormone that regulates glucose uptake, lipid storage, and tissue growth, with chronic hyperinsulinaemia producing metabolic effects before overt hyperglycaemia.
Insulin-like growth factor 1
Protein
A growth factor produced primarily by dermal fibroblasts and dermal papilla cells, with roles spanning fibroblast proliferation, keratinocyte migration, collagen stabilisation, and angiogenesis.
Interleukin-13
Protein
Inflammatory cytokine that suppresses production of barrier proteins including filaggrin and claudin-1.
Interleukin-33
Protein
IL‑33 is an epithelial‑derived “alarmin” cytokine released from stressed or damaged barrier tissues, including keratinocytes in the skin.
Interleukin-4
Protein
Inflammatory cytokine that suppresses barrier protein production, perpetuating barrier dysfunction during inflammatory skin conditions.
Interleukin-6
Protein
A pleiotropic cytokine with context-dependent pro- and anti-inflammatory effects determined by which receptor complex mediates signalling.
Kallikrein related peptidase 5
Protein
A trypsin-like serine protease expressed by keratinocytes that acts as the master initiating enzyme of epidermal desquamation.
Keratin
Protein
Keratin is the family of structural proteins that form the intermediate filaments of skin, hair, and nails, providing mechanical strength and showing distinct expression patterns during repair.
Leptin
Protein
Satiety hormone produced by fat cells that signals energy sufficiency to the brain; levels drop during caloric restriction.
LL-37
Protein
A cationic antimicrobial protein that kills pathogens, shapes the skin microbiome, and can drive inflammation when overexpressed.
Loricrin
Protein
The dominant structural protein of the cornified envelop, co-suppressed with filaggrin by IL-4/IL-13, with NRF2 partially compensating for its loss through increased lipid barrier secretion.
Lympho-epithelial Kazal-type-related inhibitor
Protein
A serine protease inhibitor produced by granular layer keratinocytes whose primary function is the precise spatial and quantitative regulation of KLK5, KLK7, and KLK14 activity in the stratum corneum.